-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Chinese government is bracing itself for a rush of people wishing to marry when the summer Olympics kick off on August 8 -- because the number carries a special significance in Chinese culture , the state news agency said Sunday .

A traditional Ming-style wedding is held in Nanjing , China , last December .

The number `` eight '' -LRB- ba -RRB- is considered auspicious by many in China because it sounds like the word for `` wealth '' and `` fortune , '' the news agency Xinhua said .

`` We 've long been prepared for a stampede of newly-wed couples this year , '' Guo Xusheng , spokesman with the Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau , told Xinhua .

Every year , many couples choose the 8th of August -- the eighth month of the year -- hoping `` eighth of the eighth '' luck will rub off on them , the news agency said .

Nearly 3,400 couples got hitched on the day last year , some waiting all night outside the marriage registration office in Beijing .

This year , the civil affairs bureau is accepting online reservations for marriage registrations for the day .

The significance that numbers carry in Chinese culture often dictate various aspects of the people 's lives there .

And of all the numbers , eight is considered one of the luckiest . Beijing , itself , opted to kick off the Olympic Games at 8 p.m. on 8/8/08 . E-mail to a friend

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China braces for rush of weddings on opening day of Olympics

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Opening day of Beijing Olympics is August 8 , 2008

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The number `` 8 '' is considered by many Chinese to carry good fortune